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XC – Cross Country
DH – Downhhill
4X – 4-Cross
TR – Trials

XC - Cross Country

The World Cup schedule
Cross Country is the Olympic discipline in the World Cup with separate events for Men and Women taking place on the Saturday

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XC Course
The Olympic discipline is the style of mountain biking practised by most recreational riders. But the top riders travel at a ridiculous pace and their speed hardly falters whether it’s flat, steep climb or technical descent, first lap or last lap. They are the super-fit endurance kings and queens who will battle the new Forestry Commission World Championships trail in the Leanachan Forest.

Built especially for the 2007 World Championships, the course is long, tough and technical. Each lap is just under 8km long with 277m of climb and descent. The Men’s race will normally consist of 5 laps and the Women can expect 4 laps.

There are some key spectator points, including the mad 1st lap climb up Sandy Brae, the looping switchbacks of the Cat’s Back and Spellbound, the tunnel crossovers at the Wiggle and the Haggis Trap, and of course the tricky Failte (Gaelic for Welcome) rock step at the start of all laps except the start lap.

There are some high-speed sections so please respect all signs, directions and instructions from marshals.

Spectator access
The entire course can be walked, but some sections require scrambling and bushwacking! Spectator management, particularly on the high-speed sections will be very important so please respect all signs, directions and instructions from marshals. Look out for the shuttle bus system along the forest roads that gives access to some of the remote parts of the course.

Click here to view the XC course map.

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Stars and British Interest
The XC field will be crammed with Olympic, World and Commonwealth Champions. For the home crowds there might just be a little more support for the British riders, including 2007 Junior World Champion David Fletcher who will be looking to build on his success within the Elite and Under 23 field. Look out for Commonwealth Gold medallist Liam Killeen and Silver medallist Oli Beckingsale – the two XC stars of the British Team with their sights set firmly on Beijing, who will no doubt be pushed hard by the rising young stars such as brothers Hamish and Ross Creber, Alex Paton and Ian Bibby. They will be battling it out with Olympic and 3 x World Champion Julien Absalon (FRA), Christoph Sauser (SUI), and all of the other hard men of XC racing. For every rider Fort William will be a crucial stage in the run up to the Beijing Olympics in August.

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DH – Downhill

The Downhill Schedule
The World Cup will climax with the Downhill events on the Sunday, on the slopes of Aonach Mor (pronounced Anach More).

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DH and The World Cup Course
The Downhill is a full-on, flat-out, no-compromise charge down the face of Aonach Mor, the 9th highest mountain in the UK. Riders need physical strength, quick reflexes, superb bike control and an unerring eye for the right line as they speed down the 2.8km long course. And a lot of bottle!
The permanent Nevis Range Downhill track has being modified and extended for the World Championships in 2007 and it is this course that will be used for the World Cup. Starting beside the top station of the gondola it descends 555m, making it one of the longest and toughest courses on the circuit.

Most of the course is visible from the gondola (the mountain cableway used for skiing in the winter, which provides access for riders with bikes and spectators), giving great views of riders as they charge down below you.

The fast top section of the course is framed by stunning views of Ben Nevis, the sea lochs of Loch Linnhe and Loch Eil and the islands of the Inner Hebrides. Rock gardens, rock slabs, big jumps and technical natural sections will provide plenty of challenges all the way to the magnificent finish section and the incredible noise of the best spectators in the world.

Spectator access
Most of the DH course is accessible although the middle section has more restrictions, so always follow the marked routes. The exciting Wall near the finish and the entry to the 4-Cross are easily accessible. Look out for the new features and jumps on the Downhill course.

Click here to download a PDF of the Downhill map

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The DH stars

Most of the World’s top downhill riders have won a Fort William World Cup – Chris Kovarik(AUS), Cedric Gracia (FRA), Greg Minnaar (RSA), Steve Peat (GBR) and Sam Hill (AUS) in the men’s event and Tracy Moseley (GBR) 3 times, Celine Gros (FRA) and Anne Caroline Chausson (FRA) in the women’s competition.

Britain is one of the most powerful nations in Downhill, with Steve Peat and Tracy Moseley regularly winning World Cup events. But there is strength and depth to the UK challenge, with three Britons in the Men’s top 5 rankings (Steve Peat, Gee Atherton and Marc Beaumont) and another three in the top 20, including leading Junior on the circuit, Josh Bryceland. Fort William Junior Gold medallist is also chasing the top seniors in 26th place.

The UK has three contenders in the Women’s top 10 (Tracy Moseley, Helen Gaskell and Fionn Griffiths). World Championship Silver medallist Rachael Atherton would certainly have been near the top but only managed to take part in one World Cup (which she won) in 2007 due to a broken wrist at the start of the season. Another British medallist at Fort William was Katy Curd (Bronze Junior Downhill) who will be battling for another great result on the slopes of Aonach Mor.

The competition will be as fierce as ever and in the tough world of downhill, absolutely no-one can predict who will deliver that faultless run on the day - but having so many top ranked UK riders will ensure some super loud cheering on Sunday.

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4X - 4-Cross

The World Cup weekend kicks off in style with the ever-popular 4X on the Friday evening, setting the scene for a big weekend of action

The World Cup schedule

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4X and the World Cup course
The 4X format aims to bring the key features of downhill mountain biking into a short head to head race that is gladiatorial in character and incredibly exciting to watch. Four riders start together and battle down a custom built course of berms, jumps, step ups and other testing features. The two fastest proceed to the next round, knock-out style, until the ultimate winner is crowned.

In 2002 Fort William held the very first UCI 4X World Cup. Seven years later and the course has been doubled in length to create one of the most amazing and atmospheric sporting arenas on the planet. Fans will be picking their spot during the day, ready for the evening finals.

Click here to download a PDF of the 4-Cross map

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The 4X stars
2007 World Champions, Brian Lopes (USA) and Jill Kintner (USA) are currently the undisputed king and queen of 4X racing. They have the explosive energy needed to move ahead in sprints, fearless commitment in the jumps and a natural ability to choose a line that puts them in front of their competitors. But they won’t have it all their own way in Fort William, especially in the Men’s race when riders such as Michael Prokop (CZE), Guido Tschugg (GER) and the ultimate showman, Cedric Gracia (FRA) will be going for the Fort William crown. The Brits are also strong contenders, led by Gee and Dan Atherton, Will Longden, Scott Beaumont and in the women’s race, Joey Gough and Fionn Griffths.

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